1973 400 2V: How do I keep it alive? |
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Turbo
New Member Joined: 17-October-2013 Location: Fort Collins CO Status: Offline Points: 13 |
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Posted: 12-November-2013 at 10:17AM |
I recenlty dug up a '73 Gran Torino Squire w/ 74,000 miles which was ordered with the C6 and a 400. The car had been sitting for awhile (8-ish years?) and then was flooded in September, prompting its return to the street.
I have flushed everything (multiple times) and I have it running / driving, although I still need to rebuild the carb. People are telling me not to bother, because a 400 "is a bad engine" and it's destined to die.
I've heard:
They eat valves
They eat lifters
They eat valves and lifters
Cams are bad
Cranks are bad
#1) Poor oiling.
I was reading up on posts in the archives, and I found lots of information for rebuilding this and making it faster/bigger/better, but what about just plain ol' stock, for weekend cruising and such?
Do I want/need a high flow oil pump? (If so, is there one that I can use that won't require changing the pan?)
Do I need a new pan?
Do I need a new engine?
Any help you can give is greatly appreciated! Thanks all!
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1973 Gran Torino Squire submarine
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unlovedford
Senior Member Joined: 17-December-2010 Location: Tennessee Status: Offline Points: 10142 |
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Turbo,
I grew up with my mom's '72 Gran Torino Squire with a 400. We ran the snot out of that car and it was always good. Had a '74 Ranchero with the 400, no problems there either. I now have an LTD with a 400 that runs fine. That being said, they are great cruising engines, plenty of torque, reliable as anything else out there. Powerhouses like a 4V Cleveland? No. Able to run at high rpm's for extended amounts of time? Not advisable with a stocker. I would build that 2150 carb, tune it up and enjoy a good smooth engine. Just my opinion, for whatever it is worth. |
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Joe
1972 Mom's Squire Wagon 1972 Torino Wagon 1976 Torino 1968 Cougar XR7-First batch 1972 Torino 460 1989 BroncoII/Jeeps/Titanimous Popeye and Brutus (Rams) |
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Big Bird
Senior Member Joined: 25-August-2013 Location: New York Status: Offline Points: 4194 |
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Run it and have fun with it. The oiling system has all the same weak points that a cleveland has, with bigger diameter bearings to add to the joy. High volume or high pressure oil pumps really won't help. The engine is a great low RPM Grunt-master, it's not a motor to wind out. That being said, if the engine was damaged by the sitting or the flooding, then the damage is done. Drive it and see what happens.
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"What we do in full frontal view, is more honest than your cleaned-up mind."
Randy 1979 T-Bird 2005 F-150 STX RCSB 4.6, 3.55 LSD How the Heck does a REGULAR CAB SHORTBED weigh over 5200 pounds? |
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GranTorinoSport
Admin Group Admin of "The Org" Joined: 20-May-2003 Location: Seattle Status: Offline Points: 2287 |
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I had a 400 in my 76 Elite. It made it about 220,000 before finally dying. There isn't anything wrong with the motors. It is when you start talking performance adding stuff that the 400 shows it's one weakness which is the compression height or quench or whatever they call it. Also, pistons and some other 400-unique parts can be hard to find.
Have people made really good 400's? Yes. Is there any fundamental design flaw in the engine that will cause it to die an early death? No. Is it the best choice for a performance motor? Probably not, but it may not be a bad choice for a mild performance motor. You won't have the cubic inches of the 460, but you also won't have the insane clearance issues of the 460 either. 400's fit right in. 460's get shoe-horned in. Check out the Bubba M-block pages I have re-hosted here. Lots of great information. |
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Scott Eklund
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foote500
Senior Member Joined: 13-June-2011 Location: Winchester, VA Status: Offline Points: 1267 |
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I heard they eat crickets too.
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Marc
German Shepherd Rescue 1967 Ford Fairlane 500, 390 |
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